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Chan sat Felix down on his bed. He was still too upset to talk, but at least he was big now.
"Are you sure you don't want Innie to meet little you while I'm still here?" Asked Chan, running his fingers through Felix's soft white-blonde hair.
"Just because he's here to watch me, doesn't mean I need him." Felix responded with a pout.
"Felix—"
"Chan! You've left me alone for weeks at a time and I've been fine! What's so different about now?"
He didn't want Jeongin to be his caregiver even if it was temporary. Even though his position would be temporary, after the fact he would still remember. Felix hated it. He hated it so much that he began crying again because he was so distraught over the situation.
"I know, baby bear. I know that you can take care of yourself, but you've been slipping more frequently and more sporadically as a late. He's just going to stay here as a precaution." Chan explained, moving ever so slightly back from the little. He was trying to avoid tear stains on his new white shirt. It was one of the few he owned.
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"Okay, Jeongin, where is Felix's stuff?"
"In the closet, in the white crate."
"But where are his snacks?"
"On the top shelf of the pantry because he can't reach that high."
"What do you do if he slips in public?"
"Distract, deny, escape."
Chan, gave a curt nod, a soft sigh escaping from behind his lips as he checked the time once again.
"I'll see you in a few weeks, Innie, remember to call us if there are any problems." He reminded, ruffling Jeongin's dark hair.
"Of course, hyung. But there won't be any calls. I'll have everything under control."
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Chan left the next morning.
As soon as he left, Felix began crying. Some of the members (Minho, Seungmin, and Changbin) were sick of Felix's sobbing. The rest were focused on getting him to stop.
Felix didn't stop crying until Jeongin gave him a snack from his little stash. It broke Jeongin's heart to see Felix so upset, but he just had to shake it off.
"Hey, Lix, you good?" He asked softly, ruffling the shorter boy's hair.
He was ignored. Felix just looked up at him with his red, watery eyes. The older looked so hurt. It wasn't an uncommon occurance for Felix to be left alone by Chan. He was probably confused and upset. But still. He just looked up and he walked away.
While this was happening only one thing was running through Jeongin's mind.
Was this what it was like to have a little? Is this how it feels to be a caregiver?
If so, he felt bad for Chan. But maybe this was just the down side. Maybe Felix hadn't even slipped yet and this was still big Felix being mad at him as a result of Chan leaving.
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Felix didn't talk to Jeongin for the rest of the day.
He didn't talk to anyone really, so he can't be entirely mad about it.
Jeongin was walking through the dorms pretty late at night to try and find Felix so he can put the older in bed, but he wasn't in any of the main rooms. Not in the Kitchen, not in the dinning room, morning the main room. Where was this hyung?
Jeongin then began checking different rooms. First Seungmin, Chan, Hyunjin, and Minho's room. He didn't see Felix in Chan's bed or anything like he had expected to.
Second, his own. He didn't know why he checked there, cause Felix wasn't there. But he felt he needed to anyways.
Finally, Changbin and Jisung. And that is exactly where he found the older. Curled up to Changbin in his bed.
To say Jeongin was fuming was an understatement. He was writhing in anger. His heart hurt, his head was spinning, and all he could see was red. He knew that this was probably a common occurrence when the two shared a room, but they no longer share a room.
Chan didn't tell him this directly, but Jeongin felt as though Chan would say it was now his job to keep Felix away from Changbin. Just to protect him.
Jisung sat up because the door opened and kind of grinned. "Hi, Innie, what brings you here?" He'd ask, only to be ignored by the maknae.
Jeongin took Felix from Changbin's grasp, despite protest from both parties. Once Changbin had let go of Felix, he was kind of shocked. Their Maknae was carrying Felix. Of course, Felix was placed over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, and that did not help with the fact that he sleeps in one of Chan's oversized shirts. The edge of Felix's boxers was exposed, and it caused Jeongin to fluster cause he could see it out of his peripheral vision and it made his heart stutter.
Felix was too shocked at being thrown over his shoulder to even say anything. Felix wasn't the lightest member of the team (okay, so maybe he was), and he wasn't that much shorter than Jeongin (an inch or two), so how did he pick him up like Chan without a problem?
He's been spending too much time with Chan in the gym. That had to be the answer. There was no other way.
While Felix's head spun while he tried to figure out how the maknae was carrying him so easily, Jeongin had gotten them back to their room and placed Felix in bed, tucking him in and pressing a kiss to his forehead.
"Good night, Lix. I hope you'll let me see little Lix tomorrow." He whispered before getting into his own bed.
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Felix didn't slip for another two days. The effect it had on the older was heartbreaking. He was more anxious and more tired than ever.
Headspace was something that Felix needed to calm down. He had been slipping so frequently for such a long period of time that his mind wasn't able to handle such a drastic change.
Jeongin tried to tempt him into headspace with toys and pacifiers and blankets, but nothing worked.
He had no choice. He had to call Chan.
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